Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress*
Heat tolerance in dairy cattle has likely deteriorated over time due to unfavorable genetic correlations between milk production level and heat tolerance, with stronger deterioration in later parities. The dairy cattle industry has responded to the challenge of heat stress by implementing management...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | JDS Communications |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910224001911 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849720760067686400 |
|---|---|
| author | Ignacy Misztal Luiz F. Brito Daniela Lourenco |
| author_facet | Ignacy Misztal Luiz F. Brito Daniela Lourenco |
| author_sort | Ignacy Misztal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heat tolerance in dairy cattle has likely deteriorated over time due to unfavorable genetic correlations between milk production level and heat tolerance, with stronger deterioration in later parities. The dairy cattle industry has responded to the challenge of heat stress by implementing management modifications. Methodology exists to calculate genetic prediction of breeding values for high production under heat stress conditions, with high reliabilities of breeding values obtained when incorporating genomic information. However, cows that maintain production during the heat stress peak have an increased likelihood of death. One remedy would be selection for better fertility and survival under heat stress, but with a low volume of data and low heritabilities, corresponding reliabilities may be too low for an efficient selection. In environments where intensive management is too expensive, an ideal cow would maintain production in a favorable climate, would briefly reduce production during heat stress, and would restore production after the heat stress conditions are over. As there are many biological mechanisms involved in heat stress response, in addition to deriving heat tolerance indicators based on variability in performance traits under heat stress conditions, novel traits that capture physiological, behavioral, and anatomical traits related to heat stress response, less dependent on production level, could also contribute to breeding for improved heat tolerance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c024c518f5e4a48a011bd75e84dfd8e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2666-9102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JDS Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c024c518f5e4a48a011bd75e84dfd8e2025-08-20T03:11:52ZengElsevierJDS Communications2666-91022025-05-016346446810.3168/jdsc.2024-0651Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress*Ignacy Misztal0Luiz F. Brito1Daniela Lourenco2Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; Corresponding authorDepartment of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602Heat tolerance in dairy cattle has likely deteriorated over time due to unfavorable genetic correlations between milk production level and heat tolerance, with stronger deterioration in later parities. The dairy cattle industry has responded to the challenge of heat stress by implementing management modifications. Methodology exists to calculate genetic prediction of breeding values for high production under heat stress conditions, with high reliabilities of breeding values obtained when incorporating genomic information. However, cows that maintain production during the heat stress peak have an increased likelihood of death. One remedy would be selection for better fertility and survival under heat stress, but with a low volume of data and low heritabilities, corresponding reliabilities may be too low for an efficient selection. In environments where intensive management is too expensive, an ideal cow would maintain production in a favorable climate, would briefly reduce production during heat stress, and would restore production after the heat stress conditions are over. As there are many biological mechanisms involved in heat stress response, in addition to deriving heat tolerance indicators based on variability in performance traits under heat stress conditions, novel traits that capture physiological, behavioral, and anatomical traits related to heat stress response, less dependent on production level, could also contribute to breeding for improved heat tolerance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910224001911 |
| spellingShingle | Ignacy Misztal Luiz F. Brito Daniela Lourenco Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress* JDS Communications |
| title | Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress* |
| title_full | Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress* |
| title_fullStr | Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress* |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress* |
| title_short | Breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle: Methods, challenges, and progress* |
| title_sort | breeding for improved heat tolerance in dairy cattle methods challenges and progress |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910224001911 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ignacymisztal breedingforimprovedheattoleranceindairycattlemethodschallengesandprogress AT luizfbrito breedingforimprovedheattoleranceindairycattlemethodschallengesandprogress AT danielalourenco breedingforimprovedheattoleranceindairycattlemethodschallengesandprogress |